Department of Spanish

Department of Spanish

Spanish graduate programs

The Department of Spanish at Western Michigan University offers both a master of arts degree and a doctor of philosophy degree in Spanish. These student-centered advanced degrees enable students to deepen and extend their knowledge of literatures, cultures, and linguistics in the Hispanic world. The course work is designed to introduce students to the broad field of Hispanic studies while at the same time enabling them to plan an individualized course of learning centered around their areas of special interest. Since its inception in 1988, the M.A. program has successfully attracted participants from the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico, and Spain, as well as the United States. Currently there are over forty students in the M.A. program, many of whom hold teaching assistantships. Great care is given in preparing and monitoring the classroom performance of students in assistantship roles. With the guidance and encouragement of department master teachers, assistants often profit as much from their teaching experience as they do from their own course work.

Master of Arts in Spanish

The Department of Spanish offers a master of arts degree with possible emphases in Spanish literature, Spanish culture, Spanish-American literature, Spanish-American culture or Spanish linguistics. Students also may design a general plan of studies encompassing all five areas of emphasis. In addition, graduate courses are available in foreign language methodology. The M.A. program consists of 30 credit hours of course work and normally is completed by full-time students in two years, although some students finish the program in less time. The one required course is SPAN 6000 Don Quijote. All remaining courses are selected by students in consultation with the graduate advisor. The program prepares students to pursue a doctor of philosophy degree in Spanish or to do further graduate study in other fields, such as European Studies, Latin American Studies, comparative literature, law, and translation and interpretation. It also offers high school teachers an excellent opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills as a means of career advancement.

Admission Requirements for the M.A. Program

For admission to the M.A. degree in Spanish, students must satisfy the following departmental requirements, as well as all other requirements listed in WMU's Graduate Catalog. Applicants who do not meet all of the departmental requirements may be admitted at the discretion of the Spanish graduate faculty. In such cases, students may be required to do preparatory course work to remove certain deficiencies.

  • Have a bachelor's degree in Spanish (32 hours above the first year of university-level Spanish) or an equivalent degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or abroad. Have a 3.0 grade point average or better (on a 4.0 scale) for all undergraduate courses. Submit two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic background and Spanish language skills.
  • Submit a brief statement of career objectives and academic and professional interests.

Program Requirements for the M.A.

A summary of program requirements follows. A complete list of requirements appears in WMU's Graduate Catalog.

  • Complete 30 credit hours of course work. Earn at least 24 of the 30 required credit hours at WMU. Earn at least 18 of the 30 required credit hours by taking 6000-level courses. Take the required course SPAN 6000, Don Quixote.
  • Successfully complete comprehensive written and oral examinations in Spanish that cover course work and three areas of the M.A. reading list.

Application and admission process

Applicants use one of three processes to apply to WMU. The process students use depends on convenience and/or nationality and residency status.

U.S. citizens and resident aliens

U.S. citizens and resident aliens may apply using either the online application process or the self-managed application process. Students should submit their application materials by Feb.15 if seeking admission for fall semester that begins in early September and by Oct.15 if seeking admission for the start of the spring semester (January). The Department of Spanish may consider late applications. With the online application process, students complete the application form available on the WMU Graduate College site www.wmich.edu/grad. Instructions are provided for completing the online application and submitting materials. With the self-managed application process, students take responsibility for gathering all admission materials and submitting these materials to the appropriate offices before the published admission deadlines. Instructions for completing the Graduate Self-Managed Application and submitting materials are detailed on the application form. This form may be requested by contacting the Office of Admissions and Orientation information line at (800) 400-4WMU, by contacting the Department of Spanish (269) 387-3023/ fax: (269) 387-3103, or by contacting the Spanish graduate advisor (269 387-2955.

International students

International students can complete the online application or ask for the assistance of WMU's International Services and Student Affairs office (ISSA). The ISSA fax number is (269) 387-5899 and the mailing address is A411 Ellsworth Hall, Western Michigan University, 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5246. Students should submit their application materials by January 1 if seeking admission for the start of the fall semester (late August). Students requesting assistantships or other financial aid should submit their applications by Feb. 15. Admission materials for the spring semester (January) should be submitted by August 1. The Department of Spanish may consider late applications, but early application is particularly important for international students.

Application deadlines

Admission

  • Fall semester: U.S. students, Feb. 15; international students, Jan. 1.
  • Spring semester: U.S. students, Oct. 15; international students, Aug. 1.
  • Summer I Session: U.S. students, Mar. 1; international students, Jan. 1.
  • Summer II Session: U.S. students, May 1; international students, no new admissions.

Financial aid

  • Deadline for Michigan and WMU aid: Feb. 15.
  • Deadline for department assistantships: fall appointments, Feb. 15; spring appointments, Oct. 15.

The Department of Spanish will consider late admission applications if enrollment is not full and will consider late assistantship applications if all positions are not filled.

Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish

Students pursuing the Ph.D. in Spanish will study the culture of the Hispanic world in both broad and specific terms. The Spanish doctoral program is based upon the belief that advanced students ought to acquire the widest possible knowledge of Hispanic culture before they choose to limit their focus to selected portions of it in the doctoral dissertation. Students will be encouraged to develop a significant content base in the culture of Spain and Spanish America, from the beginnings to present day. They will be expected to understand the relationship between the myriad of specific components that have come to form Hispanic civilization and to appreciate them for their own esthetic and intellectual value, as well as for their particular contribution to the overall culture. Students are also expected to develop the methods and skills necessary to investigate and analyze language and literature and be able to express their findings in clear, consistent and complete terms. The goal of the Ph.D. program is, in sum, twofold: to lead students to comprehend and appreciate the breadth and uniqueness of Hispanic culture as it has evolved through time and across geography, and to enable students to formulate and express their own discoveries and conclusions regarding the enduring values and manifestations of that culture.

Admission requirements for the Ph.D. Program

For admission to the Ph.D. degree in Spanish, students must satisfy the following departmental requirements, as well as all other requirements listed in WMU's Graduate Catalog. Applicants who do not meet all of the departmental conditions may be admitted at the discretion of the Spanish graduate faculty. In such cases, students may be required to do preparatory course work to remove certain deficiencies.

  • Have an M.A. degree in Spanish from WMU or an equivalent degree from another university. Have an overall grade point average of at least 3.25 for all graduate courses. Submit two official transcripts from each institution attended since high school. Submit scores on the GRE General Test. Submit three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to assess the applicant's academic potential for Ph.D. study in Spanish. Submit a 500-word statement written by the applicant in which the applicant describes principal academic and career interests and goals, as well as reasons for desiring to study in WMU's Spanish program. Submit a writing sample in Spanish (ordinarily this is a paper written in a course taken during the M.A. program or presented at a conference).
  • Participate in an interview in Spanish, either in person or by telephone.

Program requirements for the Ph.D.

A summary of program requirements follows. A complete list of requirements appears in WMU's Graduate Catalog.

  • Complete a minimum of 36 hours of course work beyond the M.A. degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale). All Spanish department courses taken must be at the 6000 level or above. With prior approval of the Spanish graduate advisor, a maximum of six of the 36 hours of credit may be taken in relevant courses in other departments. Complete the following three required courses, all of which count within the total 36 required hours: Don Quijote (SPAN 6000), Trends in Literary Criticism (SPAN 6700) and History of the Spanish Language (SPAN 6600). Demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one language, in addition to Spanish and English, relevant to one of the student's major research interests. The required level of reading is comparable to the third year of college study of the language. Earn a grade of "pass" or higher on the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination (all course work and the reading knowledge examination must be completed before the comprehensive exam is taken).
  • Prepare and defend a dissertation on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the dissertation director. A minimum of 15 hours of dissertation credit (SPAN 7300) must be earned.

Areas of Study and Comprehensive Examination for the Ph.D.

Areas of study are the following:

  • Spanish literature and culture: medieval and Golden Age periods Spanish literature and culture: 18th century to present Spanish American literature and culture: colonial period to Modernismo Spanish American literature and culture: Modernismo to present; U.S. Latino/a literature and culture
  • Spanish language and culture: synchronic and diachronic linguistics

All students are expected to prepare themselves through course work in two areas, and through additional readings. They will select two areas of major interest and three areas of supporting interest. The Ph.D. general reading list and specialized reading list for each area will serve as guides for student preparation. Lists in the major areas are, of course, more substantial than those in the supporting areas. Students should take the comprehensive examination as soon as possible after finishing required course work and passing the reading knowledge exam, but in any case they must take the examination within a period of six months after having completed those requirements.

The comprehensive examination will be given twice each year during a three-week period, in May and October. The exam will be structured in this way: (1) Two four-hour written exams, one over each of the two areas of major interest; (2) One three-hour written exam over the three areas of supporting interest; (3) One oral exam lasting approximately two hours. All parts of the comprehensive examination will be conducted in Spanish.

A single grade will be given for the entire exam. Possible grades are: superior, good, pass, fail. Students who fail the exam may retake it once. At the discretion of the examination committee, they may be required to retake the entire examination or limited portions of it.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone of the Ph.D. experience. It ought to be an original, high-quality, contribution to scholarship in an area of particular interest to the student. As in the case of course work, the dissertation is a learning experience to be guided by faculty. To be sure, the research and writing of this book-length manuscript requires considerable independent work and discipline on the part of the student. Nonetheless, we give great importance to the role of the faculty in this process, particularly to the duties of the dissertation director. It is recommended that the dissertation be designed so that it may be completed within one year after approval. Although university time limits for completion of the Ph.D. may be more generous, it is the expectation of the Spanish faculty that even the most ambitious dissertations be completed within two years. Expeditiousness is to the advantage of both the student and the faculty.

Study abroad

The Department of Spanish is very supportive of students' efforts to study abroad, given that its faculty place a high priority on mastery of the Spanish language and the acquisition of cultural insights gained during residence in Spanish-speaking countries. It is expected that before graduation, all Ph.D. students will spend at least six months in residence or study in a Spanish-speaking country. Many students will have fulfilled this expectation as undergraduates, but they are urged to seek additional opportunities to study abroad. Graduate students are eligible for scholarships offered by the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro in Mexico and the Universidad de Burgos in Spain, institutions with which WMU has exchange agreements. Graduate students are also eligible for a President's Grant for Study Abroad awarded by the University, as well as certain departmental scholarships.

Advising

The role of the Spanish graduate program advisor is to assist potential students in the application process and to help all students plan a curriculum suited to their needs and interests. Graduate Advisor Pablo Pastrana-Pérez in 415 Sprau can be reached by email, telephone (269) 387-2955, or fax (269) 387-3103.

Financial assistance for M.A. and Ph.D. students

Departmental aid

The Department of Spanish offers teaching assistantships to qualified master's and doctoral students. Teaching assistantships provide a stipend, which is normally sufficient to support a frugal student. Awards are for one year, with the possibility of renewal (maximum total of two years for M.A., four years for Ph.D. students). Renewal or continuation of assistantships depends on satisfactory performance in both teaching and graduate studies, as well as on availability of University resources. Teaching assistants are generally responsible for teaching three courses per year, two in one semester and one in the other semester, and are required to take at least two courses (six credit hours total) per semester. Doctoral associateships are available to a limited number of Ph.D. students. The associateship, which may be awarded either for teaching or research, covers full-time tuition and also provides a stipend for an entire year (as opposed to two semesters). Applications for departmental assistantships and associateships are available online and from the department. They should be returned to: Graduate Advisor, Department of Spanish, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5338. The deadline to apply is Feb. 15 for students planning to enroll for the fall semester and Oct. 15 for those planning to enroll for the spring semester. The department may consider late applications if enrollment is not filled.

Non-departmental aid

WMU offers graduate students assistantships, dissertation fellowships, research funds, tuition remission, tuition grants and assistance for historically underrepresented students. Information about these non-departmental forms of aid is available from the Graduate College. For information about student loans and other federal, state and WMU need-based programs, call the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships at (269) 387-6000. The application deadline for aid from WMU and Michigan is Feb. 15.

Special facilities and opportunities

Graduate students studying Spanish have access to the the language technology center, as well as to the language library, both located in Brown Hall. The library receives subscriptions to many popular Spanish-language periodicals and also offers a sizable collection of dictionaries and other reference materials. All students have access to the substantial collection of Hispanic materials in Waldo Library, WMU's main library, as well as to the prestigious collection of rare books and manuscripts in the Institute of Cistercian Studies and internationally renown Medieval Institute. WMU offers study abroad programs in collaboration with the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro in Querétaro, Mexico; the Universidad de Cantabria in Santander, Spain; and, the Universidad de Burgos in Burgos, Spain. Interested graduate students may do part of their work abroad. Details are available by contacting the Department of Spanish.

Graduate faculty

The Spanish faculty at Western Michigan University are guided by their conviction that the Spanish language is the basis for comprehension and appreciation of Hispanic culture. Spanish is the language of the faculty and of all graduate courses and activities. Students who study in our programs will benefit from this conviction on a daily basis. Graduate students also benefit from personal contact with a faculty dedicated to them. Teaching and student-centered research are the Spanish faculty's highest priorities. Courses developed and offered take into account both the needs and the preferences of students. Constant academic discourse, exchange of knowledge and development of skills are greatly enhanced within this student-centered environment.

 

Department of Spanish
420 Sprau Tower
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5338 USA
(269) 387-3023 | (269) 387-3103 Fax
spanish@wmich.edu